It is well established in the fields of acupuncture, reflexology, and applied kinesiology that the body has biologically active points which can be treated, for example, with needles or with the application of pressure, to relieve tension and to normalize the functions of internal organs and muscles. The fixed locations of these treatment points have been well documented for centuries.
Attempts have been made in the past to achieve weight loss in individuals through acupuncture treatments directed at their biologically active points. However, such approaches suffer from a number of significant disadvantages. First, because the vast majority of weight-loss related points are located in various areas on a person's head, utilizing acupuncture needles on those areas requires a great deal of skill and care, so as not to accidentally cause damage. Second, because acupuncture treatments must be performed by licensed and highly trained professionals, the length and, most importantly, frequency of treatments that a person can receive are a factor of that person's financial ability and schedule. Third, many people have a strong aversion to needles, and thus experience significant discomfort from acupuncture treatments. In addition, all previously known weight loss techniques involving interaction with biologically active points did not take into account the specific timing of treatments.
A novel advantageous approach, that addressed and overcame the disadvantages of all previously known weight loss methodologies based on biologically active points, was disclosed in the commonly assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/273,064 entitled “HUNGER-CONTROL WEIGHT REDUCTION METHOD”, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety (hereinafter, the “'064 Application”). The '064 Application disclosed a method for reducing weight through use of hunger control which was effected as follows: two metal spherules are attached at predetermined points in contact with skin surfaces behind the ears of an individual. The points proximal to each ear are at mirror symmetrical locations relative to a medial sagittal plane of the individual's skull. At intervals during every day of one or more ten-day cycles, the spherules are rolled in contact with the respective skin surface points at a predetermined level of pressure and at a predetermined speed for a predetermined number of rotations. The '064 Application further disclosed that the stimulation of specific biologically active points on an individual in accordance with a particular schedule sends signals to the individual's brain via the hypothalamus and thereby changes the way the brain and the hypothalamus regulate their body's systems responsible for controlling hunger. The individuals to whom this technique was applied have found it much easier to conform to a prescribed food plan, leading to significant long-term weight loss. Furthermore, in contrast to previously known weight loss methods, the hunger control method taught in the '064 Application does not require the use of drugs or permanent dietary restrictions.
While the method disclosed by the '064 Application is advantageously effective, there have been a number of significant improvements made thereto in connection with additional research and practical implementation of the '064 Application methodology.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide significant improvements in the '064 Application weight-loss method.
A further, more specific object of the present invention is to modify the '064 Application weight-loss method to make it easier to use.
Yet another specific object of the present invention is to provide additional supplemental program components to the inventive improved hunger control method to enable long-term maintenance of the method's beneficial results, and to significantly increase the effectiveness of the improved inventive method.
These and other objects of the present invention are represented by the drawings and the accompanying descriptions herein.